Shelf systems



L. SZACSKO SHELF SYSTEMS Dec. 19, 1967 Filed June 22, 1966 United States Patent 3,358,621 SHELF SYSTEMS Lajos Szacsko, 20 Brigadevej, Copenhagen, Denmark Filed June 22, 1966, Ser. No. 559,483 Claims priority, application Denmark, June 22, 1965, 3,137/ 65 Claims. (Cl. 108-92) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Two parallel rows of holes are provided in a support pole face for receiving shelf support pins, with the forward row of holes being longitudinally staggered with respect to the rearward row of holes. Shelves are secured to the support pole face between a pair of support pins, one pin being engaged in a hole of the rear row of holes, and the other being engaged in a corresponding hole of the forward row of holes. The rear pin contacts the upper surface of the shelf, and the forward pin contacts the lower surface of the shelf. Recesses are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the shelf to engage the support pins and lock the shelf in place.

This invention relates to a shelf system comprising at least one pillar post or similar supporting pole provided at least in one of its side faces with two longitudinally rows of holes adapted to receive supporting pins for shelves, cabinets or the like shelf elements, each having two side edge portions adapted to be supported by two supporting pins inserted in a pair of holes in the pole, of which pair the one is arranged in a hole which in relation to the front edge of the shelf element is situated in the rear row of holes in the pole, and the other is inserted in a hole in the front row of holes.

An object of the present invention is to provide such a shelf-system wherein the shelf elements can be supported by the pole or poles without the use of special supporting clamps, and nevertheless the poles can have a width minor than that of the shelf elements, while at the same time the shelf elements are securely supported regardless of whether the pole or poles stand upright, for example are fastened to a vertical wall or are slanting, for example fastened to a sloping wall.

According to the invention this is achieved thereby that the holes of the two rows of holes are staggered in such a manner that of each pair of holes the one in the front row is situated at a lower level than the one in the rear row, that the width of each shelf element is many times greater than the distance between the two rows of holes in the pole, and that each of the shelf side edge portions extending forwards from the rear edge of the element, is adapted to be inserted below a pin in the rear row of holes and above a pin in the front row, and is provided with at least one side recess open towards the side face and one of the main faces of the side edge portion and adapted to engage one of said two supporting pins.

Thus, each shelf element, while being able to be swung upwards at its front edge pivoting around the foremost pins engaged by its side edge portions, it is prevented from doing so by its own weight, and owing to the fact that each edge portion has at least one recess engaging one of the corresponding two pins, a displacement of the shelf element away from the supporting pole is prevented by simple and effective means. Since it does not make any difference with which pair of holes in a pole each shelf element cooperates it is possible to place the various elements in any desired relative relation. Since it does not make any dtference ether whether a shelf ele- "ice ment of a greater height, for example a bookcase is provided with several above each other situated side edge portions, each to be engaged by a pair of pins, there is no limit to the type and shape of the various shelf elements.

In order to obtain a rational production method of the shelf system it is advantageous that the side edge portion of each shelf element is provided with an upwardly open recess in the vicinity of its rear edge, and with a downwardly open recess at a distance therefrom equal to the distance between the two rows of holes on the pole, and that the center distance measured in the longitudinal direction of the supporting pole, between the two holes of a pair of holes is equal to the distance between the bottoms of said two recesses, measured in the direction of the thickness of the shelf element, plus the dimension of the supporting pins in the longitudinal direction of the supporting pole. Owing to each side edge portion of the shelf element thus being provided with two recesses which in the normal position of the shelf element engages a pin each, the shelf element is held very securely in place, and simultaneously it is obtained that said centre distance between the holes of a pair of holes can always be constant regardless of the arrangement of the shelf elements on the supporting pole, and regardless of the kind of shelf element used.

In connection with said arrangement it is most appropriate that the depth of each recess is equal to half the dimension of the pins measured in the longitudinal direction of the pole, and that the holes in the two rows of holes in the pole are equally spaced. Thus, the holes in each row has a center distance which is double the thickness of sad side edge portion, and the holes in the two rows are staggered by a distance equal to the thickness of the side edge portion. Since normally cylindrical supporting pins are employed, the recesses may be given a semicircular cross-section, which is easy to produce. Furthermore, the uniform spacing of the holes in the supporting pole makes it possible in case one supporting pole or two cooperating supporting poles are freely arranged in a room to arrange shelf elements extending at both sides of the pole or poles, since any hole of the two rows of holes in a pole can act as the rear hole of a pair of holes the other hole of which is constituted by the hole in the other row immediately under said first hole, and as the foremost hole in a pair of holes the second hole of which is presented by the hole immediately above this in the second row of holes.

According to an embodiment of the invention the supporting pole comprises at least two oposed side faces provided with holes arranged in tandem fashion, and each shelf element is provided at its rear edge with an indentation open towards said rear edge, and provided with side edges extending from said rear edge and constituting the two side edge portions of the element. Thus, the shelf elements can be supported by one single supporting pole, and if the latter is given a quadratic crosssection and provided with holes in all four side faces it is possible on a single supporting pole to arrange shelf elements extending in all four directions.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, the claims and the accompanying drawings showing, by way of example only, some embodiments of the shelf system according to the invention.

In the drawing FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a supporting post for a shelf system according to the invention, which post is supposed to cooperate with a similar supporting post for supporting shelf elements between them,

FIG. 1 shows a supporting post generally indicated with 10. The post may for example be made of wood, and having a square cross-section of for example 2.5 x 4 cm., the two side faces 12 and 14 being the broader ones. The support 10 may for example be fastened to a wall at one of its narrower side faces, for example by means of holes 16 and screws passing through these into the wall. At least in the one side face 12, but preferably extending through the whole supporting post 10, a number of holes 18 and 20 ,arebored arranged in two longitudinally extending rows. The mutual distance between the holes 18 or 20 of each row is equal, and the holes 18 are staggered relative to the holes 20, in such a manner, that each hole 18 is arranged centrally between two holes 20 measured in the longitudinally direction of the post, and vice V versa.

The holes '18 and 20 are adapted to receive preferably cylindrical supporting pins 22 and 24 for shelf elements, and these pins work in pairs usually thereby, that a pin 18 in the foremost row cooperates with a pin 24 in the immediately higher situated hole 26 in the rear row.

The supporting post '10 shown ,in FIG. 1 is supposed to cooperate with at least one similar post provided with holes 18 and 20, in the side face facing the first mentioned supporting pole. In case the shelf system shall comprise. shelf elements arranged in two or more parallel vertical rows, a number of supporting posts corresponding to the number of rows of shelf elements plus one has to be used, and all the intermediate posts must be provided with through going holes 18 and 20, whereas each of the posts at the ends of the shelf system only needs holes in the face facing another post.

FIG. 2 shows one end of a shelf 26 to be supported by two neighboring posts 10. The shelf 26 has a thickness equal to the center distance between two adjacent holes 18 and 20, measured in the longitudinally direction of the posts. The shelf 26 has a length equal to the center distance between two adjoining posts 10,. and at each end of its rear edge 28 it is provided with a recess 30 in the corresponding side edge 32. Each recess 30 is slightly longer than the width of the side faces 12 and 14 of the post 10, and has a width corresponding to half the thickness the post 10. Extending from the side face 34 of the recess 39 there is at a distance from the rear edge 28 of the sheif '26 equal to the distance of the holes 20 from the rear face of the post 10 provided a semicylindrically shaped recess 36 in the upper side of the shelf 26, which recess has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pins 22 and 24, and a length slightly longer than the length of the part of each pin 24- protruding from post '10. Another recess 38 similar to recess 36, and at a center distance from the latter measured in direction of the width of the shelf 26 equal to the distance between the two rows of holes '18 and 2t and open towards the side face 34. of recess 30, is provided in the underside of shelf 26. When a shelf 26 has to. be arranged between the posts 10 and -a corresponding post of the left side of the one shown, the end of the shelf symmetrically opposite the one shown is slanting from above, inserted for example between the two upper ones of the pins 22 and 24, shown in FIG. 1, until the recess 38 engages the pin 22. When then the shelf 26 is pivoted downwardly the recess 36 will engage the pin 24, whereupon the shelf 26 will be securely held in a horizontal position and cannot be moved relative to the post 10. The engagement of the recesses 36 and 38 with the pins 22 and 24 is secured owing to the shelf 26 4 being many times broader than the distance between the rows of holes 18 and 20.

This secure fastening makes it possible to arrange the pole 10 in a slanting position, for example to fasten it to a sloping wall as shown in FIG. 3. In this figure is shown not an ordinary shelf but a shelf comprising two edgeportions or members 40, made for example of wood or aluminum, and each having a height equal to the center distance between a hole :18 and a hole 20 in a cooperating pair of holes 18 and 20 measured in the longitudinal direction of the post 10. The side edge portion 40 has in its upper side at its rear edge a recess 336 similar to the recess 36 in the shelf 26, and in its underside a recess 338 similar to the recess 38 in the shelf 26. Between the two side edge portions '40, only one of which is shown, a number of supporting rods 42, extend, and a supporting list 44 extends between the foremost ends of the two edge portions '40, so that articles placed on this shelf cannot fall off.

Even if the shelf elements ought to extend at right angles to the posts 10, and, therefore, normalily are placed as explained above in connection with the elements 26 and 40-44 it is also possible to arrange the shelf so that it is slanting as appears from the shelf 48 shown in FIG. 1. This shelf 48 has or needs only to have one single recess 36 in its upper side, which recess 36 in the manner already explained engages a pin 24. This shelf 48 rests,

- furthermore, on a pin 22 which instead of being inserted in a hole 18 between the hole 20 receiving the pin 124 and the nearest lower hole 20 is situated even lower than the last mentioned hole 18. Thus, the shelf 48 is slanting. Such a slanting shelf is suitable for example to support shoes etc.

FIG. 4 shows how the invention makes it possible only by use of a single supporting pole 410 to support a number of shelf elements as for example shelves 426. The pole 410 is attached to a base member 50, and has a quadratic cross-section. In all four side facesthere are two rows of holes 418 and 420 spaced in the manner already explained in connection with holes 18 and 20. Most advantageously these holes extend through the pole 410, since the holes in opposite side faces have to be arranged in tandem fashion. The shelf elements to be arranged on this pole 418, as for example the shelves 426,

- are in their rear edges 428 provided with an indentation 430, preferably at the middle of said edge, having opposing side edges 434 which symmetrically in relation to each other are providedwith recesses, similar to the recesses 36 and 38 in FIG. 2, of which recesses however only the upper recesses 436 are shown. FIG. 4 illustrates, how shelves 426 can extend in all directions from the pole 410.

It has to be understood, that the embodiments of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims. Thus for example all kinds of stiff materials may be used for the parts, and the shelves shown may be exchanged with other shelf system elements such as casings, cabinets, refrigerator cabinets and the like.

I claim:

1. A shelf system, comprising, in combination: a supporting pole having four side faces, each pole side face having a front and rear longitudinal rowof holes for receiving supporting pins,,the holes of each front row being staggered relative to the holes of the corresponding rear row; at least one shelf having a notch in one side thereof for embracing two opposing side faces of said pole to be supported by pairs of supporting pins inserted in the holes thereof; each pair of supporting pins comprising a rear pin for insertion in a first hole of said rear row of holes in the corresponding pole side face and a front pin for insertion in a second hole of said front row of holes in said corresponding pole side face at a lower level than said rear pin; said shelf edge portions having upper and lower main faces; means on said upper main face of each of said shelf edge portions for engaging said rear pin; and means on said lower main face of each of said shelf edge portions for engaging said front pin to be supported thereby.

2. A shelf system as defined in claim 1, said upper main face being provided with an upwardly open recess, and said lower main face being provided with a downwardly open lower recess, said lower recess being arranged at a distance from said upper recess equal to the center distance between said first and said second row of holes; the center distance measured in the longitudinal direction of said rows of holes between said first hole and said second hole being equal to the distance between the bottom of said upper recess and the bottom of said lower recess measured in the direction of the thickness of the said shelf element plus the dimension of said supporting pins in the longitudinal direction of said rows.

3. A shelf system as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said recesses has a depth equal to half the dimension of said supporting pins measured in the longitudinal direction of said rows and wherein the holes of said rear row as well as the holes of said front row are equally spaced.

4. A shelf system as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said pins has a cylindrical portion adapted to engage said shelf element side portion, each of said recesses being 6 semicylindrical and having the same diameter as said pin portions.

5. A shelf system as defined in claim 1 and further comprising another shelf as defined therein, one of said shelves being dimensioned to embrace two opposing side faces of said pole to be supported by pairs of supporting pins inserted in the holes thereof, and the other shelf being dimensioned to embrace the other two opposing side faces of said pole to be supported by further pairs of supporting pins inserted in the holes thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,681,2'18 8/1928 Carlson 108-110 1,805,989 5/1931 Lavene 108-107 1,905,908 4/ 1933 Karnes 108-108 2,577,138 12/ 1951 Lundquist 248-242 2,648,442 8/1953 'Lowmaster 248-243 2,693,884 11/ 1954 Gurries 248-243 3,115,254 12/1963 Dowdall 108-108 3,137,251 6/ 1964 Pendergrast 108-110 FOREIGN PATENTS 214,099 3/ 1961 Austria. 310,770 1/ 1 95 6 Switzerland. 339,716 8/1959 Switzerland.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SHELF SYSTEM, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A SUPPORTING POLE HAVING FOUR SIDE FACES, EACH POLE SIDE FACE HAVING A FRONT AND REAR LONGITUDINAL ROW OF HOLES FOR RECEIVING SUPPORTING PINS, THE HOLES OF EACH FRONT ROW BEING STAGGERED RELATIVE TO THE HOLES OF THE CORRESPONDING REAR ROW; AT LEAST ONE SHELF HAVING A NOTCH IN ONE SIDE THEREOF FOR EMBRACING TWO OPPOSITE SIDE FACES OF SAID POLE TO BE SUPPORTED BY PAIRS OF SUPPORTING PINS INSERTED IN THE HOLES THEREOF; EACH PAIR OF SUPPORTING PINS COMPRISING A REAR PIN FOR INSERTION IN A FIRST HOLE OF SAID REAR ROW OF HOLES IN THE CORRESPONDING POLE SIDE FACE AND A FRONT PIN FOR INSERTION IN A SECOND HOLE OF SAID FRONT ROW OF HOLES IN SAID CORRESPONDING POLE SIDE FACE AT A LOWER LEVEL THAN SAID REAR PIN; SAID SHELF EDGE PORTIONS HAVING UPPER AND LOWER MAIN FACES; MEANS ON SAID UPPER MAIN FACE OF EACH OF SAID SHELF EDGE PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING SAID REAR PIN; AND MEANS ON SAID LOWER MAIN FACE OF EACH OF SAID SHELF EDGE PORTIONS FOR ENGAGING SAID FRONT PIN TO BE SUPPORTED THEREBY. 